I’m a marketer. I’m a consumer. Because I’m both, I sometimes feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As a marketer, I have to be disruptive – I have to figure out how to grab your attention with a message that targets and interests you. You, as the recipient of marketing messages, have power, absolute power. You can scroll past commercials; you can opt out of emails; you can subscribe to do not call and do not mail lists. This power is good for you, and good for marketers, who’d rather not waste money on people who won’t respond.
As a consumer, I’ve learned to engage in behavior that will protect my interests against unwanted marketers. I don’t click on banner ads or willingly give up information on the web unless I’m making a purchase decision. I ask telemarketers to take me off their list if I don’t want to be contacted by them. I don’t enroll in webinars unless I REALLY think it will be worth my time because it puts me on email and telemarketing lists.
So what’s the bottom line? As a consumer, I put up a protective shell, which marketers try to penetrate. As a marketer, I have to be respectful of potential customers, because if I communicate with you too much, you’ll opt out and I’ve lost you forever. I think the bottom line is courteous, targeted marketing. It can still be creative and disruptive, but it must not border on assault.
